Polls Show Jon Husted Slightly Ahead in Ohio Senate Race, Oddsmakers Have Him Paying Out $160

Columbus, Ohio (Gambling911.com) - ActiVote’s October 18, 2026 Ohio U.S. Senate poll finds that Republican Jon Husted leads Democrat Sherrod Brown by 0.4%. The poll was in the field between September 26 and October 18 (median field date of October 7). The poll was among 400 likely midterm voters and has an average expected error of 4.9%.

But oddsmakers at BetOnline have Brown favored to win at -200.  The trend has been in his favor, with his odds at -170 just days prior. 

From Activote: 

Husted leads among rural voters, voters aged 30 to 64, men, White voters, voters on low and high incomes and voters with no more than a high school education. Brown leads among suburban and urban voters, voters under 30 and aged 65 and older, women, Black voters, voters on middle incomes, college-educated voters and graduate degree holders. These group figures rest on subsamples for which the expected error is considerably larger than the 4.9% for the poll as a whole. Ohio does not register voters by party, so we do not report a breakdown by party affiliation.
 

Biggest Odds Shifts in Recent Days

Maine

Jackson (D) -150 (Was -135)

Collins (R) +120

Ohio

Brown (D) -200 (Was -170)

Husted (R) +160

Texas

Talarico (D) -185 (Was -170)

Paxton (R) +155

South Carolina

Graham (R) -650

Andrews (D) +425 (Was +550)

IA-01

Bohannan (D) -1400 (Was -900)

Miller-Meeks (R) +700

IA-03

Garriott (D) -500 (Was -400)

Nunn (R) +375

FL-25

Moskowitz (D) -500 (Was -400)

Singer (R) +375

• T C Jackson, Gambling911.com